The Tribune

SOCIAL Services is here to help seniors.

That was the message being delivered at the Bread of Life Baptist Church in Nassau Village, as government representatives spoke to seniors about the health and social services on offer and how to get them.

“You have seniors who are calling and saying, ‘I am evicted from my home and have no where to go. Can you please help?’ You can call the hotline at any hour, there is a 24 hour service, you can call and somebody will be there to assist,” said Monique McKenzie of Social Services.

“Yes, some of our seniors do not plan for retirement and yes some of them do go through hard times, but Social Services is there to help,” she told the seniors.

“Ms Smith and I, we are the only two social workers thus far attached to the Urban Renewal office but we are at your disposal. So, if you find that you get into some situation, you can visit the Urban Renewal office and somehow they will make contact with us and we will come out and try to assist you as best as we can.”

Ms McKenzie said that regular assistance of up to $2,500 is given but a person must be the owner of the home because renters do not qualify.

She also said that Food Assistance is from $80 to $100 per month, depending on whether a person’s medical condition requires a special diet.

She said the social services officer writing up the report must be informed and they will make the necessary request based on the person’s need.

She added that BEC financial assistance can be claimed up to $600 per year, but it is not a monthly benefit and after receiving it, the beneficiary is disqualified from receiving anymore.

She said there is rent assistance but a letter is needed from the landlord. And because many people have scammed the system, the letter must be typed, have a postal address, telephone contact, and the landlord must put his bank account number on that letter.

“If not they will not accept it because we find many people have scammed the government out of a lot of funds, saying that they are landlords, knowing full well they are a friend or a family member of the individual,” said Ms McKenzie.

Social Services has an Eastern location and a central location in both Fox Hill and on Robinson Road and ask that seniors bring identification to prove they are Bahamians in order to apply for government assistance.

Foreigners can apply as well, but only for emergency services.

“If you are known to the centres already, that’s the Fox Hill centre or the Robinson Road office centre, if you are known you should already have a social worker. Now, if you are not known to the centre, you go in and they require that you bring some form of identification with you because you have to be a Bahamian, that’s first and foremost,” said Ms McKenzie.